Lockheed Martin delivered 191 F-35 Joint Strike Fighters last year, according to the company, the highest yearly amount in the program’s history, as the major defense contractor worked to clear out a backlog of previously undelivered jets.
The total far surpassed the previous record of 142 F-35s for 2021. It follows two slower years for F-35 deliveries — 98 in 2023 and 110 in 2024 — that were due to the Defense Department decision to stop accepting new F-35s because of problems with Technology Refresh 3, or TR-3, updates. Over that three-year span, Lockheed delivered an average of 133 F-35s each year.
TR-3 upgrades provide better displays, computer memory and processing power. The package’s hardware and software updates were necessary before a more expansive modernization, known as Block 4, could begin.
However, TR-3 suffered numerous delays, and in July 2023, the government stopped accepting deliveries of new F-35s that were meant to have TR-3 installed. That delivery halt lasted a year, and Lockheed stored dozens of brand-new jets at its facilities, primarily in Fort Worth, Texas.
Lockheed Martin and the government focused on getting a partial, or “truncated,” version of TR-3’s software working well enough to lift the delivery halt, which happened in July 2024. The delivery backlog was cleared out in May of last year, Lockheed said.
But the delayed deliveries — as well as the fact that TR-3 could initially only be used for training missions, not combat missions — had ripple effects on the Air Force and other services. Lockheed reportedly said in June 2025 it had delivered the last software update needed to complete TR-3 last year.
Lockheed said that the nearly 1,300 F-35s in operation worldwide have recorded more than 1 million flight hours. The F-35 also played critical roles in combat operations around the world, including suppressing Iran’s air defenses during the strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities known as Operation Midnight Hammer.
Also last summer, Dutch F-35s, flying alongside Polish fighters engaged and shot down multiple Russian drones in Poland’s airspace. This marked the first time NATO F-35s engaged threats in allied air space, Lockheed said.
Stephen Losey is the air warfare reporter for Defense News. He previously covered leadership and personnel issues at Air Force Times, and the Pentagon, special operations and air warfare at Military.com. He has traveled to the Middle East to cover U.S. Air Force operations.
